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In the topsy-turvy music business of the 21st century, the element of anonymity can often be as impactful as instant identification.
Take Beak>, the Bristol, England, trio composed of Geoff Barrow, Billy Fuller and Will Young. Each member’s respective résumé reveals some big-time accolades and spotlight, precisely the foundation you might build upon were you on the cusp of releasing your fourth record. Drummer-vocalist Barrow is a founding member of psych/trip-hop pioneers Portishead; Fuller is an in-demand bassist who’s logged decades with Robert Plant; and guitarist-keyboardist Young has turned heads with his long-running ambient project, Moon Gangs. But it’s precisely the prospect of playing the game of pre-release singles, riding on the name recognition of their other projects, and waiting months for the full album to become available that has steered the band toward dropping the pretense and just getting to the fun part of having the music out.
Beak>, which performs a sold-out show at Polaris Hall on April 5, parlays a cinematic wedge of kraut-rock groove, driven by Fuller’s slippery low-end, Barrow’s in-the-pocket beats, and Young’s groggy synth wormholes. Inspired as much by film soundtracks as experimental rock forebears—though Barrow is an established and sought-after scorer of films—the band has exorcised the well-worn rhythms of the business in favor of their own musical morass. Their stated intention at the forming of the band in 2009 was a simple one: get into a room and make music without caring whether anyone heard it or not.
“We like atmospheres,” Barrow explains. “We like production vibes, whether it be in dub or whether it be scores or whatever. We like stuff with space in it, I suppose. That comes across, also, because there are only three of us, so you can only make a certain amount of noise.”
That noise will become altered a bit, as it was announced in advance of this U.S. and Canada tour run that these will be Barrow’s last as a member of Beak>. After 16 years together, Barrow’s duties toward other projects—as well as what he describes as a “dodgy ankle”—became something of an awakening as to how long he was for the wonderful world of Beak>.
“My back is not going to miss anything,” Barrow says, encouraging Fuller and Young to “get a dummy, dress it as me, and put a drum machine around its neck” for future shows.
The tour is part farewell, part in support of Beak>’s fourth album, >>>> (yes, previous LPs have contained one less “>,” according to their chronology). The album was released as a surprise in May 2024, eschewing the requisite radio play.
“They won’t play you if you sound odd,” Barrow says of tastemaking British outlets like BBC Radio 6. “So you just think, ‘Do we really need validation by these people who listen to shit music?’ For me, like, no.”
“This new record, we tried to go, attitudewise, a bit back to square one, how it started,” Young says of the band’s approach to >>>>. “That had faded off, and it was kind of gone by the third record. I think we all realized we weren’t enjoying ourselves as much at all.”
Standout tracks from >>>> like “The Seal” showcase the band’s woodshed chemistry, forging a repetitive rhythmic bedrock, and willingness to experiment with droning aural accoutrement. Warm production and warbly tonal interludes punctuate Beak>’s eclectic soundscapes, creating a playlist fit for both interstellar travel as well as the grimy innards of a house show basement.
Beak> will carry on with a new drummer when time and inclination allow. In the meantime, the band seem to lean into the humorous offstage interplay that has helped to define their chemistry over the band’s existence.
“They need to get a better drummer than me anyway,” Barrow jokes. “We’re all mates. We will continue to be mates. That’s how it works. We’re friends, and music is one part of that.”
SEE IT: Beak> at Polaris Hall, 635 N Killingsworth Court, 503-240-6088, polarishall.com. 8 pm Saturday, April 5. Sold out.